Friday, August 26, 2011

Family Room Redo

This is the family room before. Not bad, but it was time for a change. Scarlett is really into a-toddlin' around and when you're one it's always better to walk with jelly sandwiches in your hand. Keeping the sofa white was taking more time than I like to admit.

Here's the old beige witha bit of sage green oriental rug. Sometimes I'd swap it out for a rattan rug. They look great in magazines, but they aren't fun for walking on in bare feet. Chuck's been begging for something kinder.

so.... What's on the chopping block? Couch, rug, TV.

Here's a peak entering from the laundry room. (That's orange zebra stripe. What do you think the conservative doctor will think when he gets home to this?)

It's to-die-for cushy on the feet.

My latest decorating fascination is boats, the true to life scale models. They remind me of travel and I love the architectural bones they lend to a space. The TV will be replaced with a model of a boat I wrote about in The Balancer, which will be published this fall.

Now, don't get too excited for the AFTER PICTURE--- Life's pretty hectic around here and this was just a weekend project, so a lot remains the same. The thing I love the most is the couch-- I sold the other one,(acutally for more than I paid-- the thing had tuna cans painted black for legs) It was high- time to upgrade. So I did. I really did. And guess what color it is.

WHITE

As Dill (from To Kill a Mockingbird) says, "It's in my blood." Rooms are so busy that white furniture is always a great palette cleanser. BUT I made a slip cover for this one to give the room an African feel. Don't laugh. I know it's subtle, but I went for a subtle African theme. FYI making a slip cover is easy. buy fabric, pin it on your sofa inside out. stitch. wallaaa, done.

FAm room AFTER

Slip cover on couch is beige raw silk, but super easy to clean and nubby so it hides dirt (texture is the secret). It also gives the vibe of a safari hat.

Not the most dramatic re-do, but it's gonna cut way down on cleaning time and up the family time we'll have together and the kids won't have to hear, "Not on the white couch!" anymore.